The Official Azzurri thread

[morra10]

[RomaShield27]

Italy's shirt for the Confederations Cup:



http://soccerlens.com/shirts/italys-con ... hirt/2699/

I like it.

[RomaShield27]

Italy Camp Focus - Azzurri anticipation ahead of American test
– By Andrea Tallarita

It’s kick-off time for the Confederations Cup, and the gigantic shadow thrown by the World Cup (suddenly so imminent) seems impossible to shake off. Gennaro ‘the Growl’ Gattuso recently growled that the team is not there for fun’s sake and that they genuinely aim to win the Cup. It was a response to the statement we have so often been given by the media - that this tournament is a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the World Cup and the purpose of its matches to field-test the team and players. The proposition holds some truth, but there are further layers of meaning which the media in particular should be very much aware of. Presently, this event represents Coach Marcello Lippi’s personal opportunity to shut us all up. The fisherman from Viareggio has been under enormous pressure due to his consistency-slash-stubbornness on a number of issues - the vendetta against Antonio Cassano, the dysfunctional formation, the glacial pace at which rejuvenation is taking place and other more or less respectable questions. This site condemned some of Lippi’s choices regarding the above questions, so this is the time to show us (and everybody else) just how wrong we were. The game is on you, Marcello.

Speaking of game, before the Azzurri’s tournament begins and the judgments are cast, it would do us all well to inject some realism into our expectations. So let us begin by recalling that Lippi’s game is gritty, effective and inexorable, but it is not beautiful. It never has been, not even in 2006. Anyone who wishes to measure the growth of the Italian team in terms of how kinetic its football is will walk home with some pretty dark prospects, whatever the outcome of the tournament. Italy’s game will be defensive and often infuriating, in keeping with tradition. We may call Lippi a romantic. Yet for all the tenacity displayed by his team(s), the cornerstone by which we may evaluate his work remains results - that is to say, the man’s specialty. So far we have been snobbish of his dreary victories in the World Cup qualifiers on account of the mediocrity of the opposition. Now the objection no longer holds. The tournament is serious and Italy’s opponents range from medium to heavy weights. If Lippi wins or reaches the final, then it may be time to take our hats off and admit that the best football, at least when garbed in the Azzurro, is ugly rather than pretty, experienced rather than energetic. If the results are unconvincing, then it will be the last call for a reform (Of course, the most baffling outcome would be for Italy to crash out early and show a really beautiful game, but don’t hold your breath for that).

Italy’s first game pitches them against the USA. It is a tricky starter, the kind which makes you thankful for the pre-tournament warm-up matches. Given the impetus of the Americans (moral as much as physical), the boys in blue could easily be stepping into a defeat if they were walking unprepared. They still could. Not all of the players have been given some running time, and among the inert has been Daniele De Rossi, who will be confronting several ghosts from his past against the USA. His one game against them in 2006 was the stage for his most ignominious act - the elbowing of Brian McBride and the Roman’s subsequent send-off. “It is a stain I shall forever bear on my career,â€

[Carlo Romano]

[Bagg10]

[Carlo Romano]

Bagg, for what it's worth, I think most of us would have given Rossi migliore in campo...

Grosso overall worked hard, I thought.

[tonykart]

Nice review Carlo. I thought it went pretty well. Things looked pretty bad in the first half, but it set the stage for an emotional comeback (if you can really call it that) that should see our boys backpacking a bit of momentum into the next round.

Buffon 7
Was fortunate that team USA struggled to get good shots off when they had some pretty decent counter-attacking opportunities in the first half. Two whiffs in the box made things a bit easier for Buffon, but he cut down the space nicely.

Zambrotta 6
Got the motor going at the end of the game a bit, but was pretty watered down at the beginning of the second half and a real tactical liability in the first. I like the guy, but he was caught in no mans land for the entire opening half last night.

Legrottaglie 6
Was the better defender in the first half for Italy, pressuring Altidore into two whiffed shots in the box, but he made me a bit nervous at times. Still one of our best options next to Chiellini and once our Midfield started controlling themselves, the composure trickled down to the defense, who were very good (although not really tested) in the second.

Chiellini 5
A low rating for him, because of the sloppy foul. Up one man after the US' Clark was sent off, he needed to have better positioning and should have taken off his eye patch, because that was one pirate-like foul. Did well for the rest of the game, but you just can't put your team in that situation... in that situation.?.?.?

Grosso 7
Once again one of the best performers for Italy. Wasn't as crisp going forward as usual, but his presence on the flank was undeniable. Made some nice runs that caused USA some major problems. Needs to get better with the crossing, but I am sure that will come as the tournament ages.

Gattuso 5
It hurts to slap my favorite player like this, but he was not sound tactically, not a physical presence (like he usually is) and really left our defenders hanging out to dry. With De Rossi and Pirlo pushing forward, he needed to cover their backs. I guess he thinks that he can contribute in attack. Lippi needs to put a leach on that snarling dog.

De Rossi 6
Might be deserving of a 7, but his first half performance was pretty bad. He had a nice, game-winning strike, but his positional play was pretty bad. This might be more of Lippi's fault for not having the CM organized at all yesterday, but he was certainly not helping. Picked it up a bit in the second, but spends a bit too much time in attack (read on).

Pirlo 7
After a despicable performance in the first half, Pirlo found his mojo in the second and was a main reason for the Italy victory. His spin-o-rama on the sideline needed to be capped off by a tasty cross-to-finish. Nice work Andrea... keep it up please, we need you!

Camoranesi 4
Not a good day for the Juventus boys. Camoranesi was definitely the least effective player on the pitch in the first half and was a sure thing for a substitution. If he is going to play like this, he should be used after we get a lead to lock things down, not to create goals.

Iaquinta 6
Might deserve a lower rating, because he didn't actually produce anything, but his hard work paid dividends in other ways. A punishing, physical presence, Iaquinta was the only thing we had working in the first half. Although his performance might have been boosted by Grosso's presence on the left side (unlike Camoranesi who had Zambrotta who was out to lunch on the right), he still fought hard and deserved to stay on the pitch all game.

Gilardino 3
Really a poor performance from a guy I am really hoping succeeds. It seems like whenever you give him an important role, he fails. Poor movement, poor control, his positioning was good, but he had no presence. With the mistake prone Onyewu covering him, he could have done a lot more.

Rossi 9
A near perfect performance from the little man. We all wanted to see Rossi and 5 minutes after he walked onto the pitch, we saw why. A nice steal and a booming strike, and that planted the seed for an energetic comeback. His presence created space all over the pitch and suddenly the midfield, defence and attack were working much better.

Montolivo 6
A good, quiet performance from Montolivo. He did what Gattuso failed to do and that was cover for Pirlo and De Rossi when they pushed up. The couple times Riccardo moved into attacking positions he did pretty well. I think he will develop into a good player for Gli Azzurri.

Toni 6
Even when this guy isn't scoring goals he is a handful. Made nice runs, controlled the backline well, and was a real physical presence in the box. This is how you play striker Alberto.

Lippi 5
Rossi really saved his ass last night, because we saw a sloppy, unorganized, unmotivated Italy team drop one goal to a 10-man team USA. USA fought hard and played smart, but they should be no match for us. I hope Marcello saw what a bit of energy can do to this lineup.

[tonykart]

WC 2010

--------------------- BUFFON

MAGGIO - CANNAVARO - CHIELLINI - GROSSO

-------- GATTUSO - PIRLO - DE ROSSI

-------------------- CASSANO

-------------- ROSSI -------- TONI

Bench: Amelia, Abbiati; Legrottaglie, Gamberini, Zambrotta, Santon; D'Agostino, Montolivo, Camoranesi; Gilardino, Iaquinta, Quagliarella.

[juventino_italiano]

[tonykart]

[p_maldini_3]

[RomaShield27]

Too bad Rossi will be dropped when Lippi recalls Inzaghi and Vieri.

[p_maldini_3]

[Carlo Romano]

Nice post, Maldini...


I like that, "Joe Cool!" It suits him!

[juventino_italiano]

So now we watch Spain destory another team and a potentially uninteresting game, before we see whether Italy and Brazil really have what it takes

[Bagg10]

[morra10]

[tonykart]

^^^^^^ This lineup is good.

[Carlo Romano]

Guys, I'm reading from text service...

Everything pointed to Santon starting. Lippi would seem to have bottled out on the altar of a mix of youth+experience, going with Zambrotta, so I'd like to think he is using a 4-3-1-2!

-----------------Buffon--------------------
Zambrotta-Cannavaro-Chiellini-Grosso
Gattuso---------De Rossi- ----------Pirlo
-------------------Rossi--------------------
-----Iaquinta-------------Quagliarella----


Now I'm presuming even though the the talk of the tridente from the earlier partitella seems to point to a 4-3-3 that Lippi means it's "adjustable to situations on the pitch" and in fact will allow Rossi to drop back in the hole behind the front two where he was very effective on Monday...if not, then all you guys' comments and misgivings on Gattuso and Pirlo advancing, then being possibly caught out of position by what is certainly a speedy Egyyptian attack, could very well come to pass!

Believe me, I'm very much in this mode on not only that point but also on the fact that it seems our CT is giving Iaquinta another chance instead of Toni. We will know soon enough when we see the confirmed starting XI! Toni may have the physical presence but Iaquinta is more capable of scoring a goal...

A pity Ahmed is offline, as I'd like to see his comments on these Egyptians. They are good and have been for quite a time...

[tonykart]